Aulyra
by Twilight's Dawn
Summary: Sleeping Beauty - Harry Potter style, with Disney aspects. All OC's, but some slightly familiar faces pop up. My first fic - please be nice!


Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me. Harry Potter is the creation of J.K. Rowling, and anything else you recognize is very likely borrowed from Disney.  
  
Ch. 1: The Invitation  
  
"Muggles, Muggles, Muggles,' sang Merryweather, imitating her sister Flora. Seventeen-year-old Flora smiled indulgently at her younger sister, as she had done so often since her return from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was amazing how resilient little Merry was. At six, Merryweather had seen as much as - or more than - any adult.   
  
Flora's mind drifted back over the events of the past few months. It had been June when Flora and her sister, Fauna, had been informed of their mother's death. Professor Weasley, the current headmaster at Hogwarts, had decided that Merryweather and Fauna should stay at Hogwarts while Flora completed her seventh year, since he felt it was unsafe for them to be anywhere else. Both Briar Tucker and Flame Maddoc - Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather's parents - had been murdered by followers of the most recent power-hungry wizard, Ophiucus Black, Flame in June of Flora's seventh year, Briar in May of her and Fauna's sixth. (Why Dark wizards' plans always seemed to coincide with the end of term at Hogwarts was something Flora couldn't fathom.)   
  
Briar and Flame had stumbled upon a secret that Ophiuchus would kill to protect - he was, in fact, little more than a figurehead for a Dark witch: his wife, Maleficent Black. It was a cunning plan by Maleficent; in order to deter the focus of the wizarding world from her evils, she used her husband as a decoy. This secret was what kept most of the Blacks' followers loyal. Though whispers of a return of equal rights for witches were beginning to fly, most wizards who sympathized with the Blacks' cause were of the opinion that witches were to be seen and not heard. Because of this, Maleficent couldn't risk discovery, or she would lose the support of nearly all her minions.   
  
So, when Briar discovered this secret though the purest chance, Maleficent had him killed immediately. Nearly a year later, she found out that Briar had shared the secret with wife, and before Flame had a chance to put her knowledge to any effect, she, too, had been killed, right in her own home. Poor Merry had watched as Avada Kedavra killed her mother in a flash of green light. Luckily, Merryweather had had the presence of mind to run to her neighbour's house as soon as the unknown wizard turned to her. Flora thanked the powers that be with all her heart, because the wizard had not searched very hard for Merry - perhaps he had deemed her unworthy of the effort, or at least unaware of her parents' secrets. However, Merry was nothing if not aware. Flame had suspected that she would come to an untimely end, and so imparted her secret to her youngest daughter. Their neighbour - a witch, thank goodness - had immediately owled Professor Weasley, who all but ordered the youngest Maddoc sister to stay at Hogwarts.   
  
Two other youngsters; Auriga Black, and the headmaster's own grandson, Phillip; had also been staying at Hogwarts, and the two had been instrumental in Merry's recovery from the shock of her mother's death. Auriga, or Iggy, as he liked to be called, was believed to be the illigitimate son of either Maleficent or Ophiuchus, but no one knew for sure, as the boy refused to explain how or why he had turned up on the doorstep of Hogwarts. For nearly five weeks, the trio of children had wreaked playful havoc amongst the fiercely studying students - Flora included.  
  
Thinking of Merry brought Flora out of her reverie.   
  
"What about Muggles, Merry?" laughed Flora. Fauna, Flora's less academically inclined twin, looked up from the letter she was reading, and waved it at her her sister.  
  
"A letter from Professor Weasley. It's about Muggles! Apparantly some sort of Muggle royalty wrote to him, and sent it by a messenger! Imagine that! They've invited him to the christening of their daughter. They seem to think that he's royalty, too, and they want...they want to betroth their daughter to little Phil!"  
  
"Phil!" Flora exclaimed, "But...they're Muggles!"  
  
"What's betrothed mean, Flora?" asked Merryweather.  
  
"It means that they want their little baby daughter to marry Phil, someday, like how Mother and Father were married."  
  
"Muggles can marry wizards?" Flora chose to pretend she hadn't heard that question, as she had no real answer, and focussed her attention on the letter.  
  
Dear Flora and Fauna,  
  
I hope this letter find you and Merryweather in good health. Hogwarts castle is feeling very empty now; and Phil and Iggy miss little Merryweather dreadfully. This has not, however, stopped them from terrorizing the few people currently remaining at Hogwarts!  
  
I received an interesting letter this morning, regarding Phil. I was accosted by a messenger on horseback while I was on my way to visit a friend who lives nearby. The poor man - a Muggle, obviously - had been given directions to what appeared to him to be an open stretch of field. He was riding around rather aimlessly. It was lucky that I decided to pay a visit to Mme. Oliver when I did! Please remind me at a point in time less hectic to change the disguising spell on Hogwarts so that Muggles can see something there and don't accidentally ride straight through it! But I digress.   
  
The letter I received was from the Duke and Duchess of St. Ives. On July 17, the Duchess gave birth to a long awaited daughter- an heir for their duchy. The couple are, apparantly, in their later years, and had given up all hope for an heir, and now that they have one, they are rejoicing, but wish to see her well taken care of in the event of their deaths. Somehow, the Duke has been given the idea that I am, if not exactly a king, at the very least, I am a powerful and influencial person in our society, (how he came to know of our existence in the first place, I do not know, but that is irrelevant for the time being) and as such, he wishes to betroth his daughter to my grandson, Phil. I have accepted, because I believe that an alliance between wizards and Muggles would be extremely beneficial for both parties, not to mention that it would quell some of the rumours that I am a supporter of the Blacks' anti-Muggle cause. As you both well know, I have been working hard to counter their actions against Muggles, but Muggles have no quick way of relaying messages, so news of any mysterious deaths comes too late, if at all. But this is not appropriate material for a letter that may be intercepted at any time.  
  
I am not writing simply to gossip: I have an important favour to ask of you. It seems that the Duchess's cousin was well acquainted with your mother, who shared the knowledge of a Maddoc family blessing with her - something relating to the naming of children. (I was unaware of this blessing, and would have dismissed it as idle speculation, or a mistake, but the Duchess was very accurate in her description of your mother, and very specific as to what she wanted.) The Duchess wishes for her daughter to have such a blessing, and has therefore invited you, through me, to the christening. (I believe she had no way of contacting you on her own - she seems to think that you are 'fairies' who live in a magical realm until called appropriately...ah, the disillusions of Muggles.)  
  
Please think this through and give me your response through the fire. There is no hurry, though, as the Muggle expect this letter and your response to go through yet another messenger.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Professor Weasley  
  
"Praeditus nomino," whispered Flora, her voice slowly rising,"How could she share Praeditus nomino? She told us a million times, it's a Maddoc family secret, that's why she wasn't Tucker because she was Maddoc and now we're Maddoc and it's our secret and we're not supposed to share it with anyone and...Fauna, aren't you listening? Mother told someone about Praeditus nomino! And a Muggle! How could she..." Flora trailed off, following Fauna's gaze to the tapestry that had hung on their wall since before either ot them could remember. It was rather large, and featured a forest scene, with a sunset blazing in the background. The border was one of ivy. Flora had always thought of it as rather impractical, though Fauna had loved the pretty detail of it; tapestries made sense in Muggle castles, where the stone walls could rarely keep out drafts and where the women had nothing better to do than to sit and weave all day, but in the Maddoc household, the walls were protected by spells and the women had plenty of work. Besides, the tapestry didn't even move, or glitter, or anything! It truly was a Muggle artifact. However, Flame refused to be rid of it (though Flora always insisted that she wouldn't say that if she had to clean it) because it was specifically made for her by her best friend, Ivy of St. Ives. "Ivy from Ivy of St. Ives," Flame would laugh, when confronted with her daughter's dislike of the hanging, "it was made for me and I'm keeping it!" The twins had contemplated taking it down after their mother's death, but Merryweather had insisted on keeping it up as a memorial to Flame.  
  
"St. Ives, Flora! It's from St. Ives! Mother's best friend in the world...or at least, from her cousin..."  
  
Merryweather started to weep softly.   
  
"What's wrong, honey?" asked Fauna.  
  
"I miss Mama, Faunnie, I want her to come back! Why doesn't she come back? She told me that she'd always keep me safe and that even though she might be gone for a long time she'd always love me and take care of me but she's not here and I miss her!" Merryweather sniffed, and Flora awkwardly handed her a handkerchief.  
  
"You have to stop talking in run-on sentences, Merry - you're beginning to sound like Florrie!" Fauna smiled softly, "Now you listen here, baby. Mama loves you, just like Florrie and I love you, and she would never leave you if she had a choice, but she didn't have a choice. And I know you can't see her right now, taking care of you, but you can bet that she's up there right now in heaven, watching you and being your guardian angel."  
  
"Mama's an angel?"  
  
"Yes, she is, Merry, and she's making sure you don't get into too much trouble!"  
  
"Does she watch me all the time?" asked Merry, wiping her eye with her pudgy fist, "I don't think she needs to watch me all the time. Florrie gets in more trouble than I do!"  
  
Flora smiled through her tears, "Yes, I do Merry, yes, I do." Though the twins usually managed to put up a brave front for Merry, they still weren't up to the full time job of parenting, Flora especially. Flora had chosen to take the optional seventh year at Hogwarts instead of coming home with her sister to help out at home. Unlike Fauna, whose greatest desire in life was to marry, have children and many pets, Flora wanted to see and do everything there was to see and do. Children were fine for the hazy 'someday' far in the future, but Flora had wanted to see the world first. Flame's death had changed that. Instead of being able to live her own life, Flora was forced to stay at home...but that train of thought would lead to depression, so Flora quickly censored it.  
  
"So Merry, what do you think? Should we share Praeditus nomino or should we not?" asked Flora, as much to distract herself as Merry.  
  
"There's nothing to share, Florrie! They already know!" Flora pondered this for a moment - yes, the Muggles already knew. But did that mean they could actually do the spell on the Muggle?  
  
"Flora, Ivy was Mother's best friend. Don't you think we owe it to her? For Mother's sake?" Flora made a face at Fauna's blatant manipulation, but didn't reply.  
  
"Florrie, Mama would have done it! Ivy was her best friend in the whole wide world!"  
  
Flora rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go tell Professor Weasley that we'll go to the christening, and that we'll use Praeditus nomino on the girl. But I sure hope her name works, or else it will all be a waste of time!" 


End file.
